India rocket explodes after liftoff

NEW DELHI (AP) — A rocket carrying an Indian communication satellite exploded just after liftoff yesterday in the second launch failure for India’s space agency this year.

Television images showed the rocket exploding in smoke and fire just after it launched from the Sriharikota space center in Andhra Pradesh state. It was carrying a GSAT-5P communication satellite into orbit.

The vehicle developed an error 47 seconds after liftoff and lost command, leading to a higher angle in the flight, said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization.

In April, a similar rocket on a developmental flight plunged into the Bay of Bengal. The ISRO said its rotor seized and turbine casing ruptured, probably because of excessive pressure and thermal stresses.

Yashpal, a retired Indian scientist and independent commentator, said he was very disappointed by yesterday’s failure, but other countries too have experienced such problems.

“I hope it’s just one of those things,” Yashpal, who uses one name, told reporters.

India is planning its first manned space flight in 2016.

An Indian satellite launched in 2008 to orbit the moon was abandoned last year after communication links snapped and scientists lost control of the satellite.

India is the fifth country after the United States, Russia, China and France to enter the commercial satellite launch market.

Since 1994, India’s space program has launched a number of Indian-made satellites.